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Wyden Statement on Status of Third Coronavirus Response Bill

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement of the status of the third coronavirus response bill:

“Moving forward without a bipartisan deal that covers workers and small businesses, and includes needed health provisions will add insult to the injuries many Americans are experiencing due to COVID-19. Significant progress had been made, including on a major expansion of unemployment insurance, but rather than completing our work, Leader McConnell decided to walk away and try to jam through a Republican proposal that leaves workers behind.

“On top of that, Republicans’ inclusion of a no-strings attached corporate slush fund that could bail out Donald Trump’s friends and Donald Trump’s company makes this current bill a non-starter. Nurses are making their own masks and gowns, and Leader McConnell and Donald Trump want billions to secretly give their buddies.

“In addition, Republicans have failed to adequately fund the immediate public health crisis, get coverage for key testing and treatment, bolster Medicaid and protect against drug price gouging.

“Leader McConnell and the Trump administration need to come to terms with the fact that the cure to COVID-19 is not a secretive taxpayer-funded bailout of megacorporations. This agreement is going to get done, but it’s going to get done the right way.”